Blue Raiders come up short to Bulldogs in CUSA Opener

Thursday, January 11

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

8 PM

Middle Tennessee

6-10,0-1CUSA

LA Tech

11-6,1-1CUSA

Louisiana Tech

Middle Tenn.

1/11/2024 11:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Scoring droughts spoil strong defensive night, Coleman-Jones double-double

By: Sam Doughton, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball showed grit on Thursday night in the Murphy Center but could not pull things out to start Conference USA play, falling to Louisiana Tech 60-52.

MTSU (6-10, 0-1) trailed by just one point, 25-24, at halftime thanks to a strong defensive performance in the game's first 20 minutes, holding LA Tech (11-6, 1-1 CUSA) to just 9-for-25 (36 percent) from the field in the first half. A 2-for-11 half from beyond the arc for the Blue Raiders, however, slowed the momentum gained on defensive end.

The strong defense continued through the final 20 minutes, with MTSU once again holding LA Tech under 40 percent from the field in the second half. The Blue Raiders led with as few 12 minutes to go, but multiple 4+ minute scoring droughts pushed the game out of reach for the Blue Raiders.

Jared Coleman-Jones posted his first career double-double for the Blue Raiders, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, shooting 8-for-13 from the floor. It was also the first double-double of the season for any Blue Raider. Jestin Porter was the other offensive spark, scoring a team-high 24 points with help from three three-pointers. Porter was the only Blue Raider who scored multiple shots from beyond the arc.

By the Numbers

28: Points in the paint for MTSU. LA Tech entered Thursday night's game with the fifth best two-point defense in the country, but the Blue Raiders were able to find success getting the ball inside. The Bulldogs only managed 18 points in the paint.

36.5: Shooting percentage for the Bulldogs on Thursday, the lowest percentage by a Division-I Blue Raider opponent in the 2023-24 season.

4:18: Assist to turnover ratio for MTSU, the lowest mark of the season for the Blue Raiders.

Blue Raider Notes

The game was the ninth of the Blue Raiders' season to be decided by 10 points or less. MTSU fell to 3-6 in those games.
The 12 lead changes were the most in any of MTSU's games this year.
The Blue Raiders snapped a seven-game winning streak in home conference games.

Thoughts from Head Coach Nick McDevitt

"Really tough result for our team. I was really proud of how hard we played. I thought we played with a ton of effort. Being down another man tonight in Jalen Jordan just meant that other guys were going to get more minutes and have to really step up."

"I just thought our effort was terrific. Our execution was ok. Just too many ill-advised turnovers. We gave up a couple of critical o-boards when we played great defense. Defensively, what you want to do is really what did. Hold a team to 60, they shot, percentage-wise, 36 percent from the floor. But we had some play execution mishaps. Some of that with moving pieces."

Up Next

The Blue Raiders stay at home in Conference USA play this weekend, welcoming Sam Houston to the Murphy Center for the first ever matchup between the two programs. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Radio Network.

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